Legislation being hailed for allowing faster workers’ compensation claims settlements was signed into law last week by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. It changes the requirements regarding the signing of legal paperwork for those workers eligible for a C&R – a Compromise and Release settlement. Currently, workers eligible for a C&R must have two witnesses see them sign…
This On-the-Job Illness Doesn't Pass the Smell Test
Every once in a while a story crosses the Cluttered Desk that eventually forces me to apologize to someone somewhere for their offended sensitivities. This particular tale, however, is prompting me to apologize in advance to anyone whose feathers may be ruffled by the content contained herein. Remember, I am simply the messenger; granted a…
I've Heard of Team Building, But I'd Take a Pass on This
Bill Howley, general manager of TEN 3, a restaurant at the top of Sandia Peak in Albuquerque, NM, said a recent experience he and his employees went through had its positive points. On December 31st he and 18 of his employees were “rushed out of the restaurant around 8:45 p.m. due to increasingly bad weather.”…
2022 Marks 50 Years Since National Commission on Workmen's Compensation Report: Planning Committee Established to Commemorate Event
In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon established a national commission to review the state of workers’ compensation programs across the nation. The commission, chaired by Professor John F. Burton, Jr., delivered their “Report Of The National Commission Of State Workmen’s Compensation Laws” to the President and Congress on July 31, 1972. It made 84 recommendations for…
When Mask Protests Get in The Way of Employment
A story out of south Florida that went viral this week highlights just about everything that can go wrong today in our hyper-connected society. It is a story of inconsistent policy and major overreaction, as well as just plain stupidity. And it all centers around a man who wore underwear as a face mask on a recent…
Evolving Christmas and the Battery Daddy
As part of a Christmas holiday ritual, my wife and I watched a couple of well-known classic movies on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Those movies were the perennial holiday favorites, “A Christmas Story” and “Home Alone”. I am still trying to figure out how to get that holiday feel-good romp “Die Hard” into the…
Bob's Top Ten Fitness Tips for Optimum Health
As a virtual paragon of fitness and health, I am at times encumbered by the knowledge that many of the people in my life, both near and distant, are not blessed with the excellent physical stature and well-being that I have managed to attain. Since all within the workers’ compensation industry could benefit from positive…
Do We Work For, With, or On Behalf of Injured Workers?
A session at the recently concluded WCI Conference in Orlando, focused on the “significant need to provide better behavioral health support for injured workers who suffer from injuries with compounding behavioral health challenges,” presented many good ideas, as well as generated provocative questions worth our consideration. One of those questions was, essentially, how do we…
A Big Win for WCI, and for Workers' Comp
Finally, life felt normal again. No video conferences. No remote meetings. Just a smattering of masks. This year for the Workers’ Compensation Institute in Orlando, their behemoth of an educational conference rose like a Phoenix from the desolate ashes of a detested pandemic. And not only did they manage to pull off a successful in-person…
Mass Termination Could Have Been Handled Better(.com)
Video streaming technology has been around for a number of years, although its use has certainly exploded during the pandemic. Many people, I included, have touted the potential benefit of streaming video as a communication platform and to expand the availability of medical services. However, it is not a panacea. There is potential for abuse…